In my practice, I have observed that limited diets lead to nutrient deficiencies, weaker digestive function and emotional stress. Beans are a great case in point. Many either intentionally avoid them or do not think to include them in their diets.

The bottom line of the conference is easy to understand: There is an immense potential to affect the nutrition and income of small farmers throughout Guatemala by improving the black bean seeds they use. But the challenge we will all face is how to collaborate to make that possible.

Nanny never wrote down recipes. And it wouldn't have mattered if she did; I didn't pay attention to what went into her meals -- it was the delicious end result that was my only concern. So now I've tried my best to recreate her simple, Calabrese dishes.

"There's an endless number of things you can do with beans -- Mexican on Monday, Mediterranean on Wednesday, you never get bored," Linda says. In her Wildly Affordable Organic classes, she shows people how to prepare one pot of beans three different ways.